


The Fate We Weaved

by Archwraith



Series: The Pact We Vowed [1]
Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everyone Is Still Alive, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Medium Burn, Mostly Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Third War (Warcraft)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23049436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archwraith/pseuds/Archwraith
Summary: Jaina Proudmoore, apprentice mage of the Archmage Antonidas was invited to the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas by its Crown Prince. Reluctantly accepting the invitation, knowing it was an attempt by the Crown Prince to sway her to his side, she resolved herself that she was there only to study. Nothing more, nothing less. However, fate has different take for what's about to happen during her time there and afterwards. A destined meeting between a mage and a ranger, who will change the world when the time required them to act.
Relationships: Jaina Proudmoore/Sylvanas Windrunner
Series: The Pact We Vowed [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657378
Comments: 20
Kudos: 119





	1. A Peaceful Night

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the Prologue from A Place We Belong I've promised! I'm not sure how many chapters I will make on this work but it will be a while. At the moment, I'm also writing the expansion but I'm not quite satisfied yet with it. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Jaina had always wanted to visit the land of the elves, the secluded kingdom of Quel’Thalas ever since she heard of the place when she read it in a book. The place had a charm on its own. An everlasting sunlight as if it blessed the Kingdom entirely. The city was brimming with magic and the beauty of its architecture knows no bounds. If there’s a word to describe the city, the word that came up to Jaina’s mind was elegance.

Jaina eventually had her wishes came true when the Crown Prince of Quel’Thalas, Kael’Thas, offered her a visit to his city. Jaina at first declined politely as she felt it was taking advantage of the prince's affection for her. Jaina wasn’t that naïve to think this was just a friendly visit but more of a way to court her to his side. However her master, Antonidas said that she would find opportunities to study the field directly when she was there. She cannot really debate on that matter.

Here she was, in the city as it was told in the book. Everything was made as charming as its citizens would look like. There was just one thing that didn’t suit her however. The city was too warm for her liking. Kul Tiras had always been cold and Jaina preferred the lower temperature of her homeland to anywhere else. Even Dalaran was not this hot to begin with.

When she arrived alongside Kael’Thas through the portal he made, walking towards her temporary lodging, she immediately knew that people stared at her as if she was a rare sight to be seen. Those gazes started from amusement downright to glares of disdain. Some of the magisters they passed by viewed her as if nobles usually see peasants.

“They are most likely just wondering why a human was in the city, as well as being escorted by the Crown Prince himself.” Kael’Thas murmured quietly next to her as they walked side by side.

“I take it that not many had ever visited the city then, your Highness?”

“No, only a handful of people from Kirin Tor have ever entered the city. Ever since the Second War is over, the kingdom has preferred to stay secluded and away from the others.” Jaina only hummed in response.

As they approached her lodging, she can’t miss glances from several elven rangers shooting at target range, not far from where she’ll be staying when she was inside the city. Many of them shoot with grace and precise accuracy. Almost all of their shots hit the bullseye mark on the target. They noticed her looking at them and gave her a warm smile before returning their focus to the target dummy that was setup away from them. She can hear shouting in Thalassian but cannot see who shouted it as the escort moved away from the place.

“This is where you will be staying, my lady. I trust everything will be to your liking then?” Kael said as he opened the door to the inside with the other one.

The room she will be staying was spacious. A lot bigger than the quarter she had in Dalaran. There was a wardrobe next to the bed and a desk not far from it as well. A large rug placed on the middle of the room, several bookshelves on the other side of the room, half filled. She can only think that Kael designed this room to try to impress her.

“I thank you for your generosity, Prince Kael’Thas. I hope I can gather much knowledge here.” Jaina said as she slightly bowed to him.

“I believe you will.” Kael smiled, “The library is north from here and-” as he was about to say another word but one of his guards approached and whispered to him something. His smile turned into a thin line as he sent the guard away, “Pardon me, my lady for I can’t stay too long now, I’ll visit you soon enough when I have time by then.” He went to make his exit as he spoke, “I’ll have someone accompany you by tomorrow. But please, enjoy your stay for a while.” Kael excused himself as he left in a hurry.

_ Someone else? _

Jaina had assumed Kael would insist on showing the city himself when this whole invitation began but thinking about it again, it would cause quite a gossip within the elven city if their crown prince was seen escorting a human wherever she wanted to go. Did something urgent happen? Truth to be told however, Jaina would take anyone else other than Kael at this point.

While he was polite and charming, as any elf has been except most of the magisters, he was rather persistent in his approach, something that annoyed her. A trait he shared with Arthas, the Crown Prince of Lordaeron, the very one she was betrothed to as of now. Even after he joined the Silver Hand, where she hoped he would have more patience regarding several things, he became rather clingy ever since he saw her talking with Kael and other mages at a time. Months after months his jealousy was unbecoming and it really ticked her off. She began to regret saying “Yes” all those months ago when he asked for her hand.

_ If only there’s a more suitable companion…  _

Jaina shook her head and popped herself up from thinking about her future companion. Now was not the time to waste such a valuable opportunity to lament about it. There was a lot to learn.

-o-

The sun almost set as Jaina left the library and arrived at her lodging. She had changed to her nightgown as she planned to read several books she managed to borrow to spend the night. Her visit was only for two months before she left the city and returned to Dalaran so she figured she should use any time she can manage to gather whatever she can to learn here. The library may not be as big as the one in Dalaran, but some of the books here has never left the room itself. Some knowledge that the elves seemed to rather not give away so easily. The librarian eyed Jaina warily when she arrived and after she said she was the guest of Kael, he pretty much just give anything she was interested about.

As night finally settled, Jaina was getting tired of reading. It didn’t help either that half of the book she borrowed contained Old Thalassian, which she didn’t understand at all. In hindsight, it was probably better to skim the book first before borrowing it. Her Thalassian also could use more work, no one was willing to teach her about it. Well, Kael did offer it to her once but she gently refused it since Arthas was around during that time. She didn’t need him watching her with daggers there.

She wasn’t feeling drowsy either as she settled on the bed. She fumbled around in frustration that she can’t sleep yet. It was still warm even as the moon rose and exchanged its place with the sun. And those black coffees she drank earlier in the afternoon might not be a good idea as well.

_ By the Tides, drinking that much coffee before taking the journey here is a bad idea. _

Her mind may be tired from all that reading, yet her body was still very much active and restless. Annoyance filled her up as she fumbled around on her bed once more before her eyes landed on the window.

Her lodging was placed rather high and near the Sunfury Spire. From there, she can see the city slept as the night covered city with a few magelights shining on the streets. The city was particularly quiet at night, much different from Dalaran or Lordaeron where there were still a lot of people around. She paced around the room shortly before deciding to look around the city at nighttime.

_ Might be a chance to look around the city without people staring at me I guess. _

She changed to her Kirin Tor robes and raised her hood and slipped away from her lodging.

The city was quiet at nighttime, there’s almost no activity at all beside guards standing by. In Kul Tiras, there’s always at least one pub open where people would spend the night drinking their problems away. She wandered around the middle of the city, magelights adorning the city streets as she came across several guards talking with each other in Thalassian and either oblivious to her presence or they just ignored her.

As she kept wandering around the city, taking notes of the places she would like to visit tomorrow, she didn’t hear quiet and silent steps approaching her. She kept looking around the places like a tourist but in entirely the wrong time to wander about. She felt a soft blow of wind from behind as she finally realized someone was standing behind her.

“It is a bit late to be wandering around the city, isn’t it?” A silky voice spoken next to her ear.

Jaina squeaked as she turned around to see an elven woman, tall and stood by watching her like a hawk would watch its prey. She wore simple ranger attire she had seen on others during the afternoon. A firm looking longbow slung right on her back with a quiver full of arrows, a sword on her side and a dagger on one of her boots. Grey colored eyes, hidden behind blue glow which many elves had, and her blonde colored hair covered inside her hood. And her face, by the Tides, she was the most beautiful woman Jaina had ever seen in her life. She was chuckling sweetly at her surprised reaction.

Jaina opened her mouth to reply but only to find it hanging open, enchanted by the look of the woman in front of her. Once the elf realized she was stared at, she looked at Jaina curiously, tilting her head left and right, which brought Jaina back from her trance as she shook her head. Her smile was so charming. What was the question again?

“I-I’m sorry?”

Another chuckle and a raise of an eyebrow came from the ranger. Jaina can hardly believe such beauty was well preserved for warriors like them. She blushed in return for the chuckle.

“It is a bit late, why are you wandering around at this hour around the city?” The ranger tilted her head again, smiling as she asked.

_ That smile… _

Shaking her head mentally, Jaina snapped again and looked at the ranger back, “Oh, uhm, I-I was having trouble sleeping so I figured I would look around the city to get acquainted so I know where to go tomorrow morning.”

The ranger hummed, “It’s a little bit too dark right now to walk around. The guards might be anxious to see someone around the city at this hour taking notes.” Jaina took a glance, to the nearest guards where before they seemed to ignore her, now they looked at her curiously, “I suppose you should return to the place you’re staying right now and continue tomorrow?”

Jaina nodded in reply as both of them walked back to her lodging.

As they walked in quiet silence, Jaina sneaked glances toward the elf every now and then. Her heart beat irregularly every time she saw the ranger’s beauty when they passed one magelight after another. The elf probably knew she was stealing glances at her look as she smirked at her. She was quite sure her face was beet red at this rate. Another question appeared to Jaina's mind. Was she the one Kael assigned to take her around the city? Maybe she noticed the lodging was empty and was looking for her? She truly hoped so because she was looking forward to spending the rest of her visit with this charming ranger. The walk may be quiet, but Jaina enjoyed the company of the ranger none like the other before her.

The ranger looked around and finally the silence broke as they near the place where Jaina stayed.

“The Prince didn’t send you anyone to guide you around the city?” She said as she took another look around one more time, a slight frown switched the smile she showed a minute ago.

Jaina raised her eyebrow at the question. She was quite sure that the ranger was the one tasked by Kael to accompany her. “I-I thought you were sent by his majesty?”

It was the ranger’s turn this time to raise her brow. She released an inquisitive “oh” before humming, thinking of her next reply as she shook her head, “I’m afraid not, my lady. I simply just arrived in the city and I have heard no such request by him yet. I was thinking you slipped away from whoever watched you around.”

_ Oh. _

Jaina can’t help but feel disappointed. Her wish fell flat almost as immediately as she made one. “I see. Forgive me for being so forward.”

The ranger smiled and waved her hand in dismissal, “No need. I’ll make sure someone will be around for you tomorrow then.”

Jaina wondered about that phrasing and the finality at the words. The ranger talked as if she was capable of ordering someone around. Maybe she held a chain of command within the military? Thinking again, she simply also referred to Kael as “him”, rather than most elves who would call him “His majesty”, or something alike. Jaina was not one to study warfare and the military about Quel’Thalas. She had always been more interested in the elves' knowledge in arcanes. That interest might change in the near future though.

"How did you know that I was a guest to his majesty?" Jaina asked as she raised a brow.

The ranger gave her a smirk, "Words traveled fast in Quel'Thalas my lady. Gossips are basically our second nature after all."

Jaina wondered just what kind of rumor has been spreading about right now if a ranger from the border even knew that she was Kael's guest. She didn't spend much time pondering as they arrived in front of the door of her lodging. Jaina looked to the curious ranger and bowed, “Thank you for accompanying me tonight. I hope that we can meet again at some time.”

“The feeling is mutual.” The ranger smiled as she nodded, “Rest well, my lady.” The ranger excused herself and left her. It seemed that she was in quite a hurry as well as she strode away from her view rather quickly. Only after the ranger turned around the corner did Jaina finally realize one thing.

_ Damnit, I haven’t asked her name! _

-o-

Sylvanas strode immediately into Kael’Thas office and repeatedly banged the door rather loudly. The guards to his room dare not to stop her as they saw her scowling when she arrived. They can see that it was well and truly unwise to try to stop a rather pissed-off Ranger-General.

“The door is unlocked, Sylvanas. You can enter without waking up the whole Silvermoon.” Kael’Thas said from behind the door.

Sylvanas opened the door inwards and practically stomped her boots towards his desk. Kael’Thas quietly mused in his mind that he will have a long night today it seems.

"This better be worth the effort I made returning from the front-line because I'm quite busy out there." Sylvanas said, trying to mask her frustration.

Kael lowered the paper he was reading, glancing at her for a moment before turning his attention to the report again, “I see you are dressing quite normally today. Anything happened?” Kael tried to cool down the situation with small chat though that seemed to be not working as he found her scowling now.

“I prefer to dress  _ lightly _ every once in a while, especially when I was called with the letter saying  _ ‘With all haste’. _ ” She folded her arms as she frowned, “Now stop wasting my time and tell me why you requested my presence from the front-line.”

Kael slowly put down his report among other stack of paper as he met her gaze, “There is a guest that I need you to escort for a while in my absence, I trust that-”

Her ears flattened to her skull and her frown turned into a full scowl as she gritted her teeth, “You summoned me, from the front-line, where I am planning a skirmish  _ against _ the Amani trolls, to be a  _ city guide _ for your guest?!”

Kael’Thas tried to level his eyes on her, “She is Lady Jaina Proudmoore. The heiress of the Kingdom of Kul Tiras, an apprentice to the Archmage Antonidas himself. Anyone ought to give her a little bit more respect than-“

Sylvanas once again slammed her gauntleted hand to the desk; Kael flinched from the sound it made as he closed his eyes momentarily at the reaction. She glared at him with much anger than ever as she snarled, “Listen to me,  _ young prince _ . I have a battle about to start near our border, and the Kirin Tor will soon arrive with their aid so we will have support against their shamans since none of your  _ magisters _ want to so much as to even dirty their boots outside. As much as I enjoyed her presence tonight,  _ I _ have a battle to win on our border!”

Kael raised a brow as he noticed one simple sentence amongst all that rant, "You've met her?"

Sylvanas scoffed, "I found her looking around the city just now." She stopped at that and unwilling to part anymore word. 

Kael set his gaze on her again, this time addressing her rants, “Can’t your rangers deal with the battles themselves? I thought Velonara was good enough to lead squadrons of your rangers by now, as you’ve stated a few weeks ago. “

Sylvanas' ears flattened, “Zul’Jin is directly involved. I won’t take this skirmish lightly.”

At the mention of the Amani troll chieftain name, Kael stiffened, “It truly is him? Then it might be a dangerous skirmish to be sure.”

“I will deal with him, one way or another.", Sylvanas calmly stated as she turned around to the door, hastily making her exit, "Deal with your woman yourself, don’t involve me in this.”

Kael sighed as Sylvanas' hand touched the door handle, “Can you at least spare any of your rangers then? Vereesa? I really don’t have time to accompany her because I have to resume talking with Antonidas about magisters going to Dalaran next week.”

“My rangers are rather preoccupied with piercing trolls head with their arrows.” She said as she scrunched up her nose in disgust when she mentioned the trolls, “And no, Vereesa is handling my absence in the front-line right now.” She grumbled.

Before Kael managed to utter another suggestion, she refuted, “Also no, I tasked Nathanos to take care of their scouting party, don’t even suggest him either.”

“Hmph, I want none to deal with your so-called Ranger-Lord to begin with. His uncouth mouth offends me.” Kael scoffed at the mention of the first human Ranger-Lord.

Sylvanas almost agreed to Kael’Thas that very first time. Ever since his rise as Ranger-Lord, Nathanos has become more and more arrogant, even to her rangers. Many of them complained to her about his attitude as of lately. Velonara even vehemently refused to work with him. She didn’t care that he outranked her either. Sylvanas can’t really help it since she favored his skills more than his attitude in times of battles. She was willing to turn blind eye because of that, as long as he got the job done.

Unfortunately, it also caused rumors to spread around, as if she was taking a liking to him and willing to let certain things pass by. Preposterous rumors. Her sister and her rangers knew quite well that she was into women to begin with, except Nathanos who just can’t take a hint. His attitude toward her didn’t help to ease the rumor either. At times he was logical and calculating but other times, he always tried to approach her and show subtle signs of affection. Something she softly rejected. She hoped he would take a hint but so far, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“I was thinking of your other rangers. Is really no one available to guide her around the city?”

“Why don’t you send any of your magisters then?”

“You knew how the magisters feel about the human, Sylvanas, especially human mages. I doubt anyone was willing.”

Truth to be told, the magisters scoffed at human mages almost all the time. Very rare exceptions existed. They viewed the human as lesser beings. They viewed that it was a mistake to even teach them the ways of arcane to begin with. Sylvanas almost regretted that suggestion she spoke in her fit of anger. It would really be an unpleasant experience for that little mage as well if she was escorted around with a magister.

She folded her arm and stood near the door in silence for a while. After a long wait, Sylvanas finally sighed and turned her gaze to him. “Fine, I will send Anya to accompany her.” Her hand reached for the door handle as she gave one last glance to the prince. “Don’t trifle me with small matters anymore Kael’Thas. I have a battle to win for our people.”

As she strode away from the Kael’Thas office to the barracks where Anya was staying, Sylvanas slowly recalled the guest Kael’Thas brought. Jaina Proudmoore. She had a pretty face, true, even Sylvanas herself would admit it, something she rarely did. No wonder Kael was smitten at the little mage. Her meekly look at her glances was, in a way, adorable. Her blush when she spoke with her, or when her face turned red when Sylvanas noticed she was stealing glances towards her, it amused her. She might not have noticed it yet but arcane were swirling around her softly, a small yet strong current of it moving around her as she walked with Sylvanas just now. The mage will eventually be a strong one in the future to come, that much Sylvanas knew.

As the barracks came to her view, she shook her head mentally, removing the thoughts about the little mage away from her mind.

_ This is not the time to think about someone, I have obligations to do. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and sorry for any mistakes I've made writing this piece! Hope you stay for the ride!


	2. Stay True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both ladies try to deny their interests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry with how slow I've been updating as of lately. Life has been a lot tougher here than it was before. Being kept to work doubles the effort too. I can only hope I can update more frequently in the future to come.

As the morning sun swept into her room, Jaina stretched her arms as she woke up. She shifted her gaze to her right where she saw a stack of books was placed on the desk, unfinished books she read last night. She sat up slowly, giving a thought of her dream.

Her night was filled with sweet chuckles as she slept, clear reminiscence of the ranger she met last night. Who was she? Why did she plague her night so? Why was she so damn gorgeous?

Both Kael and that ranger promised someone would take her to look around the city yesterday. She can’t help but to wonder if they each send someone to tend to her or both of them discussed it first. 

_ There’s no time to wonder about what others are doing I suppose. _

She went to the bathroom to prepare for the day. She would like to visit several places today in Silvermoon. The library itself was vast with knowledge, but a little shopping around for the trinkets will do her some favor as well when she returned to Dalaran. Just as she was out of the shower, she can hear someone knocking on her door.

“One moment!”

Jaina strode to the door after making sure she was properly dressed for today. When she opened the door, she found a ranger, rather shorter than the one she met yesterday yet no less armed. This one seemed to use a shortbow and two swords on her hips. Jaina could’ve sworn she saw her looking rather bored a moment just before she stiffened herself.

“My lady,” The ranger bowed, Jaina in reflex bowed as well, “I’m tasked to accompany you during your stay. I hope I can be quite a service during your time in the city. The name is Anya Eversong.”

There’s a slight playful tone Jaina heard as the ranger spoke in a formal manner.

“I can only hope you don’t find me boring, Anya.” Jaina said as she smiled at the ranger. The response was a quick nod and a warm smile from the ranger.

“It has come to my attention that you were wandering around the city at night, Lady Jaina. I assume you already have ideas where to go for today?”

The only one that seemed to know she was wandering around was the ranger from last night. Well, she and a handful of guards. Words really traveled fast in Quel’Thalas if Anya already knew of it.

“Did the ranger I met from last night tell you about it?” Anya raised her eyebrows and her ears flicked about at the question.

Jaina never understood the movement of elves’ ears. One of the books she read about indicates it was their way of showing their emotion. There were many which were listed in the book such as happiness, sadness, intrigue, and many others. But to identify what they were feeling on the spot? It was no easy feat.

_ Did I say something wrong? _

“I was just curious, that’s all!” Jaina said as she waved both hands.

Anya peered at her for a moment, blinking several times before finally smirking, “It was the ranger you met last night, Lady Jaina.”

It might be hard to notice but Anya was definitely holding back laughter just now. Jaina may not know much about social interactions with elves but she can say for certain she was hiding something. Where their face may mask whatever they feel about, their ears cannot. There was definitely something else than that.

“Did I… say something amusing? You were about to laugh, right?” Jaina cocked her head to the side as she watched the ranger, still grinning.

“No, no, there’s nothing wrong. Don’t worry about it my lady.” Anya still grinned while waving things off. She was a bad liar, truly.

From the looks of it, Jaina won’t be getting any answer from her dear guide. She decided to drop the matter and huffed, “Fine. I was planning to visit the library in the morning and look around Arcane Goods in the afternoon. Is that good enough for today?”

Anya grin turned into a warm smile once more as she nodded to her. 

-o-

Jaina spent several hours in the library, reading on how to manipulate arcane energy, to understand these theories better. Manipulating arcane energy would be very useful in almost every situation, especially when it comes to daily life. Not that it was encouraged within Dalaran however. Ever since she started her study within Dalaran, she has been encouraged to use as few spells as she needed to. It was so that she wouldn't be overly dependent on her magic all the time.

More books she borrowed contained more Thalassian that she didn’t understand. Luckily however, Anya proved to be a pleasant company and willing to translate several books to her as she kept reading about. Even though Anya aided her without much complaint, Jaina noticed however that even if the face of her guide looked impassive, she was bored out of her mind.

“Anya,” Jaina called her as the ranger looked out to the window of the library.

She snapped out of her daze as she turned her head to see her, “Yes, my lady?”

“Do you want to go somewhere? I’m nearly finished here.” Jaina said as she closed the books, intending to borrow it as well for nighttime reading. The ranger raised a brow, looking at her curiously.

“I’m here but to follow you and escort you around my lady, I-“ Jaina cut her off as she held out a hand.

“Yes, you are but I’d rather have a company who would enjoy spending their time alongside me.” Jaina said as she stacked one book after another, “And, if I may, I would also like to learn about the rangers as well.” Jaina smiled as she tried to learn the flicks on the ranger’s ear. Maybe it was curiosity this time?

“The Farstriders?” Her eyes widened this time, seemingly caught off guard with her words.

“Is it… something you can’t say about?” Jaina wondered a bit.

“N-no, not really. It’s just that,” She cleared her throat and searching some particular words from how long she stayed quiet, ”You seem to be, my apologies if it offends you my lady, a bookworm, one who would spend day and night just to learn magics and arcanes, or anything but military.”

“None taken,” Jaina assured her. Jaina has been called that a lot in Kul Tiras. Her brothers teased her a lot about it. She can’t, however, explain her sudden interest with them, especially not because of a certain ranger that invaded her dream last night, “I uhm, maybe my interest just got expanded with my visit here?” Jaina anxiously tried to wave her guide off but it didn’t seem to work as the elf grinned.

“Usually, my lady, in Quel’Thalas, if someone took a particular interest in something they’re not usually inclined about; it’s related to two things.” Jaina slowly gulped as Anya approached her with catlike grace.

“Either someone is paid for it, or that there’s a certain someone that they’re interested with has something to do with said topic.” Anya said as she settled on a chair in front of her, “Anyone got your particular interest my lady?”

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.” Jaina said averting her eyes away from the insufferable grin the ranger showed.

Anya chuckled as she covered her mouth with her hand, “It’s the ranger from last night isn’t it, my lady?”

Jaina was sure her face was quite red by now as she was confronted immediately. She wasn’t also good at lying, so she’ll definitely be noticed if she was to deny it. “I-I,” Jaina faked a cough as she looked everywhere but the ranger in front of her, “It-it is quite hot here isn’t it? Let’s go somewhere else.”

If they weren’t in the library, Jaina was sure that Anya would laugh out loud as she saw her frantically picking up the books she intended to borrow for a while, “As my lady wishes.”

-o-

As Sylvanas galloped her horse towards the main camp outside of the border, she can see her sister leaning on the perimeter fence, looking thoroughly annoyed. She can only sigh as she approached her as she slowed down her horse. Several warriors and rangers were walking around the camp. She can see Areiel and Lyana training new rangers on the west side of the camp while Lor’themar was doing mock battles with others in close combat on the east side.

“Looking at your sour face, I can see that nothing is going well right now, Little Moon.” Sylvanas said as she unmounted her horse, letting a trainee ranger took her horse to a nearby post to be tended.

Vereesa just tilted her head towards the screaming contest inside the Command tent where Sylvanas can hear both her Ranger Lord and Ranger Captain going at each other, “Take a look for yourself. The only reason I’m out here is because they’ve been going at it for hours, and my ears are hurt.”

“You didn’t take any decision in my absence?”

Vereesa released a sigh, “Both of them had reasonable explanations. While your Ranger Lord wanted to swiftly deal with the enemy scouting forces, crippling their forces for a moment and temporarily halting their advance, such action would also provoke the enemy to our presence. Thus far, the Amani hasn’t realized we have moved out as well. An element of surprise is what Velonara would prefer to rely on in this situation.”

Marching to her tent alone as she saw her little sister stayed where she was, massaging her ears slowly, she can hear the shouting sounding even louder. As she opened the tent, Sylvanas saw Nathanos on the left side of the war table, standing alone whilst Velonara on the right, alongside Clea, Kalira, and Alina. Whereas both Nathanos and Velonara were scowling towards one another, Clea and Kalira looked unamused to the whole exchange. Alina appeared to be rolling her eyes for the fifth time today as she fiddled around with an arrow as she sat on a nearby chair.

All of them quickly set their attention aside to salute her as they saw who entered the tent, Sylvanas waved them off quickly.

“I’ve heard quite a number of shouting at the outside, now do me a favor and present your plan to me without raising your voice anymore.”

Nathanos looked at her in the eye, “General, with the rate of how the Amani marched, they would appear in three more days, whereas our reinforcement from Kirin Tor will take four. We need to delay their march if we are to let our allies arrive in time.”

“And by doing so, he wants me and the other to do a  _ suicide  _ run by killing their scouts, informing them of our presence.” Velonara sneered.

Sylvanas can feel the tension immediately heightened once again as Nathanos narrowed his eyes towards her Ranger-Captain, “Then immediately back away! Why is such a concept so hard to understand?!”

Velonara refused to back down and met his gaze defiantly, “Are you stupid? Getting pierced by arrows on their heads are not natural occurrences! Of course they will know about it! They will immediately dispatch a different party to hunt us down while their main forces will keep their march here!”

“Enough!” Sylvanas shouted from between them.

Both of them still bared their teeth against one another even if they now stayed their tongue, fixing their gaze over to one another.

“No more of this! Both of you raised a fine point but both have their own demerits. We have no time to deal with fighting against each other.” Sylvanas commanded. Whereas Velonara grunted with acceptance, Nathanos kept growling at that command.

Sylvanas eyes turned to a laid out map in the table as she ignored their respective officers glaring at each other. There are several markers on the map, complete with pieces. The trolls were approaching from the southwest. They were marching towards a village near the border, most likely a raid before they turned for the gates of Silvermoon, to replenish their supplies. Sylvanas set up their forces on their direct route, so when they expected to meet the villagers, they would meet an army of rangers instead.

She eyed the map carefully as she saw the trolls making a beeline towards them. She took several glances over the map and noticed something. There should be a den of lynxes near where the trolls march. The plan would be simple, and even Zul’jin won’t easily notice that this would be the elves doing. 

Her eyes fell to Alina who quickly returned it, “Alina, tell Lor’themar to move out with his squadron to agitate nearby beasts on their camp. There should be a den near over here.” Alina looked closely where Sylvanas points, “Stir things up by luring the beast into their path. This should provide us some time.”

Alina left without much complaint. A glint in her eye, alongside Kalira and Velonara indicated that they knew what such a plan would do. Only Clea and Nathanos left bewildered with her instructions. Sylvanas released a sigh as she knew she would need to explain the length of her plan.

“By riling the beasts nearby their camp, they will be alerted but not against us. This will buy us time as they will stop their marches for a while. The effect may not be as effective as sending our rangers in of course, however it will still delay their march for a bit as they will need time to tend their wound, long enough until our ally from Kirin Tor comes.”

Clea shaped an ‘o’ mouth as she understood the idea, however Sylvanas can see that Nathanos still has something left to say, not wanting to oppose her decision directly. 

“Everyone except Nathanos, leave. Go patrol positions around the camp. Kalira, go towards the nearby village and buy several rations. Visit Liadrin as well, maybe she will need something.” Sylvanas said as everyone dismissed themselves.

After ensuring that no one was around them anymore, Sylvanas grabbed Nathanos collar and pulled him close as she stared at him, baring her teeth towards her Ranger Lord.

“What the hell was that? Are you trying to get the others killed?!”

“I simply saw the best possible outcome, Sylvanas! You couldn’t deny it either that it was-“

Sylvanas simply threw him to a chair where he tumbled and nearly fell over as he forced his leg to stabilize the chair, preventing himself from hitting the dirt.

“You will address me as your general, ranger!”

“It’s undeniably stupid that you are so willing to let others get killed when other plan can still be made! Alternatives that didn’t include in forsaking your fellow rangers to the mercy of your enemies!” Sylvanas snarled as she spun. She released a sigh as she slowly let her anger slip away.

“You are my Ranger Lord, a close friend of mine, and someone I truly thought I can always count for, but sacrificing your rangers should not be the first thing you consider.”

“You once said to me that-”

“Others are arrows in my quivers. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to spend them so easily. Every shot must be calculated. Is it worth pulling the strings? Or is there another way I can resolve such conflict? Every arrow must be held accounted for lest you’ll find yourself without any by the time you realize it.”

As Nathanos sat in silence, Sylvanas continued as she looked down on him, “You have higher rank towards the others. It means that you are responsible for their lives as well. Victory may come at any cost, but that doesn’t mean you should value other’s lives so easily. As my right hand, I expected you to treat others as I treat them. With respect.”

Sylvanas went to the tent exit as Nathanos didn’t reply. As she did, she offered one last piece of advice while she glanced to look at him, “An army where the commander doesn’t have the respect of their soldiers will surely fall easily in battle.”

She could barely hear his words as she left the tent, but he knew that she heard the words muttered from his mouth, “I’m sorry. I will strive to be better next time.”

Sylvanas sighed as she walked out of the camp to meet their fellow rangers. She peered around the camp to see Vereesa walking up towards her. Vereesa never wandered far from her ever since she was little. When Alleria left Quel’Thalas during the Second War, she always took care of her and aided her in every way an older sister could. There were only two of them who carry the legacy of the Windrunner now and she swore she’ll keep her little sister safe as much as she could.

“So? Why did you get called by Kael’thas?”

Sylvanas groaned as soon as the name of the prince slipped out from her sister’s mouth.

“He wanted me to escort his guest, which is totally not someone he’s trying to court around.” Sylvanas said as she picked up a quiver filled with arrows while marching towards the target practice.

“Who is it this time?” Vereesa followed suit alongside her as she raised her eyebrow, definitely interested.

Rangers around them saluted Sylvanas as she settled down several meters away from the target riddled with arrows. Some of them were placed further back, not many hit the target. Sylvanas decided she would use those ones for practices.

“A human mage, from Kirin Tor. Said to have come from Proudmoore family. Her name was Jaina.” Sylvanas said as she tried the strings on her bow, making sure it’s working well and firm before taking shots.

“Well, what do you think about her?” Vereesa queried as she sat on a nearby chair checking the sharpness of arrows she brought along.

Sylvanas hummed as she recollected the night before, “She looks kind of cute, and will grow up to be one strong mage in the future to come.”

She nocked an arrow carefully and focused her breath as she aimed. The one in the middle, several arrows hit the target but never on the bullseye mark. As she was about to release the arrow, Vereesa gave one last question she never expected to hear.

“Do you take any interest in her?”

That one question took her back as she reeled her head from the target to her sister, her hand launched the arrow towards an unknown place where it may have slipped somewhere around the woods, completely missing the target. She swore she heard something was groaning where the arrow flies. Vereesa laughed out loud at Sylvanas surprised face.

“What was that question for?”

Vereesa wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes as her laughter went down, “Well, you always said that no one in Quel’Thalas appeals to you, so maybe someone from outside then?”

She has always been pestering about her personal life ever since she found out that she has rejected several nobles who attempted to court her in days of past. Nobles and magisters, or whoever has both titles on their waist asked her for this and all of them were met with quick refusal. Kael’thas once tried to persuade her into accepting the proposal for one of the noble families who held much political power within Silvermoon, only to be met with her hand pointing at her front door of her spire. She has never stopped ever since.

“If I promised to you that I will tell you when that day comes, will you stop being nosy about my private life, dear sister?” Sylvanas sighed as she picked another arrow.

“Only if you kept your word as true as your arrows.”

_ I highly doubt that little mage would be interested with someone who knows nothing about magic. _

Even as Sylvanas tried to convince herself that would be the case, a small part of her being vehemently asked her again and again, “What if she is?”

Sylvanas huffed as she nocked an arrow and aimed at the target once more, this time it finally hit the mark. “Fine. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the future, I think I'll focus on the prologue first before tending to the expansion one since the latest Shadowlands leak give several more ideas on what would happen, so I can integrate tidbits of lore it releases since some of the stuff I write about it will directly connected to the Shadowlands as well.
> 
> PS, that new Sylvanas model for Shadowlands looks sick, though I became more worried than ever where she'll end up because of that.


	3. First Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding between the escort and the guard, and the elves managed to strike first.

_To Jaina Proudmoore_

_Jaina, it’s been a while since you’ve left Dalaran to visit Quel’Thalas for a while. Things are getting interesting here and we’ll also visit Quel’Thalas as well soon to aid the Farstriders. There was a report that a lot of trolls are moving towards the very border of the kingdom and we were asked for aid by their Ranger General, who I’ve been told was a gorgeous beauty, but entirely insufferable._

_Our work will be mostly consisting of maintaining wards as they march against the nearby trolls who were planning attacks on nearby village and their gates. We should be on safer position in that regard. I’ve told Antonidas to let you join the group as well and he’s open to the idea though Kael’thas is against it. If you are willing to join us, do reply to me immediately, alright? I have to report to the Ranger General of how many of us will arrive there. She expects at least ten of us._

_I hope this short letter will find you well there and I hope we can meet soon. There are many of our works that is not done yet back in here, other tutors are pretty much asking us to finish it before deadlines. I know you will finish it up by then, as you always do._

_Your dearest friend,_

_Rhonin Redhair_

When the letter reached Jaina, she was in the middle of reading a compendium regarding the history of the Quel’Thalas. Anya delivered it to her as she sat within the library on the third day of her visit. The ranger teased her endlessly yesterday as she was looking for trinkets to study about, or to take home as souvenir. She almost always redirected her towards trinkets which symbolized rangers such as arrowheads, insignias of bows and feathers, silver necklace adorned with forged leaves, and so on. Jaina finally relented in buying a small arrowhead, crafted with silver and lined with gold, alongside yellow colored feathers decorating it. She placed it within her pouch for the moment. A souvenir of her visit here.

“Something caught your interests within our history my lady?” Anya asked as she settled next to her.

Jaina hummed happily, one particular section of the book, telling the legacy of the Farstriders itself. She reopened the book and pointed the part regarding the story of Lireesa Windrunner.

“Ah, the previous Ranger General, one so called as the Ranger Matriach herself. She was quite a legendary figure.” Anya said enthusiastic at the page.

“Every ranger looked up to her as her valiant effort during our time when we were struggling against the trolls. Though she may not be as popular as Lady Alleria within the Alliance, every single one of us always strives to be like her.”

Alleria Windrunner. No one within the Alliance wouldn’t know who she was. A hero of the Alliance as she fought alongside other heroes to push back the Horde during the Second War. She led the elves of Quel’Thalas who secluded themselves within their kingdom and marched to aid the Alliance. She was rumored to be lost on the other side of the portal when it was finally broken down and the Horde pushed back altogether. A memorial of her was placed before the gate of Stormwind.

The name of Windrunner seemed to be a legacy on its own. She read along about it and discovered that Lireesa was the mother of the hero Alleria herself, and another three siblings. Sylvanas Windrunner, Vereesa Windrunner, and Lirath Windrunner.

“So, the position of the Ranger General should’ve passed to Lady Alleria normally, right?”

Anya tensed at the question. It was as if she approached a sensitive spot of the story.

“Lady Lireesa wishes her so, but alas she was away when Lady Lireesa passed, the position falls to her second daughter. Silvermoon will always need a Ranger General to keep its wall safe.”

Jaina eyed the book once more. The second daughter would be Sylvanas Windrunner. She frowned as she read the next page. There was no picture of her within the book. Only descriptions of her acts and her efforts against the Horde during the Second War as she fought within the kingdom. She was described as a valiant protector of the kingdom during that period of time. Whereas her sister fought on the frontline, she stayed behind to protect their birthplace. A fierce protector who would stop at nothing to secure the safety of her people and willing to take drastic measure when the time called for it.

Anya flashed a grin as she caught up where Jaina was reading, “There’s not much in the book about her my lady. You’ll have to meet her in person if you wish so to know more about her and the Farstriders. She’s on the front line at the moment however, so it would be a while before she returned.”

Jaina huffed at the playful tone of her guide, “Or you can just tell me about her? She’s your commanding officer, right? Or do you answer to the prince instead?”

Anya released a muffled laughter as Jaina raised an eyebrow as she watched her guide reaction curiously, “The Ranger General is indeed my commanding officer my lady. But only she and others who outranked me like the captain, lieutenant, or _lord,_ ” Anya made her displeasure pretty clear when she uttered that word, “Can command me, not the prince. The Ranger General commands the military while the Prince commands the civilian and the magisters. That’s how our chain of command worked. Both of them, of course would obey the king. ”

The mention of Ranger General immediately pulled Jaina back to Rhonin’s later. She was also open to the idea of aiding the Farstriders as well towards the front line, an opportunity to learn about them as well. Totally not trying to find who the ranger two days ago who Anya stubbornly won’t tell her the name. _Totally_. Thinking again as Jaina heard Anya’s explanation, she can’t help but to wonder if the one she met two days ago was the Ranger General herself. But Anya said that she was on the front line, so it must be someone else, right?

Jaina huffed as she closed the book, “So, are you willing to tell me about your Ranger General then?”

Anya hummed playfully before she shook her head, “Can’t really tell you about that my lady, but I think you’ll like her when you meet her.”

Jaina eyed Rhonin’s letter one more time before deciding to reply to him that she would gladly assist the Farstrider. She will send her decision shortly.

“I guess that won’t be too long as I’ll be in the frontline as well later.” Jaina said as she winked towards the surprised ranger.

“You are going to the frontline, my lady?”

“I’ll be among those who will assist the Farstriders, alongside my colleague within three more days.” Jaina waved the letter towards Anya. The ranger raised an eyebrow in wonder.

“I will send a reply so that my friend knows that I will join them later.” Jaina conjured a piece of paper and begun writing her reply. She definitely didn’t miss the elf besides her, smiling at her decision.

-o-

When Anya heard of the order from the Ranger General, dressing with simple ranger attire for some reason at that night before she was going to sleep, she groaned loudly and made it clear she didn’t like the order. She was never one to just stand around, doing nothing and guarding someone. The last time she was tasked to guard a mage, a magister to be precise; she nearly punched him on his nose because she didn’t have any patience to deal with his antiquities. He was also sneering at her for not helping him bringing his stuff, as if she was a pack mule to begin with. She pretty much preferred to shoot a troll from several meters away. It felt more like a sport to her and it kept her happy, in a way.

Sylvanas didn’t give many details of which one she was going to guard, only saying that she was an important guest of Kael’thas named Jaina Proudmoore and she’s a mage from Dalaran. Humans then, not that she has any dislike towards them like her Ranger General. She really hated the guts of Nathanos though.

She said that she caught the guest wandering around the city at night and taking notes on where to go tomorrow morning, so Anya herself didn’t need to offer places where the guest could visit. When morning came, she lazily made her way to the guest lodging and knocked several times. She didn’t expect to hear someone sounded so soft from behind the door and lo and behold, a young human mage. She looked rather cute for a human too.

When the mage referred the Ranger General as if she was a simple ranger, Anya can barely hold her laughter. It seemed like the Ranger General has yet to introduce herself to her guest. Though she could understood it a bit that the human mage would refer her Ranger-General as such since she was wearing standard ranger attire at that time.

When she tried to inquire about it, Anya would prefer to stay quiet and will try her best not to tell the mage that the one she met was the Ranger General herself. She wanted to know just how far she can have fun about this. No doubt she could get into trouble because of it, but it should be worth it for this boring task.

Turns out however, during the short period of time she spent alongside the mage, Anya enjoyed her presence a lot. She was smart, funny, and very patient as she teased her a lot about the Ranger General. It was quite obvious she was smitten by her Ranger General, like most people. Something told her however, that this mage was different than the rest. Something she can’t really explain yet, it just felt different for her.

Several times she had seen her Ranger General courted by several nobles only to be rejected on the spot. One of them made a thinly veiled threat at such rejection, only to be casted a glare by Sylvanas and the whole squad of rangers who were alongside her that time. They made it clear that they won’t take kindly of such words towards their Ranger General.

“Have you ever fought against a troll, my lady?” Anya asked as they left the library. Both of them were bringing some books back to the mage lodging, though Jaina was slightly sad that she wasn’t allowed to borrow the history book.

Jaina looked uncertain but she still maintained a confident face, “To be truthful, tomorrow would be my first time on a battlefield.”

Anya raised an eyebrow at that statement. So she truly was still green. She can’t help but to feel worry about her newest friend as she decided to go on the skirmish alongside the other. It wasn’t that she disliked the idea of being on the front alongside her sister-in-arms, but she just felt wary of the mage wellbeing.

“What’s on your mind, Anya?” Jaina asked. She must’ve fallen silent for a while since that previous question.

Being honest would be her only option, “I am but worried of your wellbeing my lady. The skirmish is nothing glorious nor was it as exciting as it was foretold in story books.”

Jaina cast a comforting smile despite the troubled look of her friend, “But I have you to protect me, right?”

Anya can’t help but to feel proud at that simple question. She can only smile again in return, “Of course, my lady. Alongside my sisters and brothers, we will make sure no harm will come to you or your friends.”

-o-

Moving as a pair allowed both Lor’themar and Halduron to go towards the place where Sylvanas, by proxy of Alina, told them to way faster than it needs to. It only took them half a day travel as they reached where the trolls will pass or make a camp whereas their enemies will still took days for them to finally arrive at where their main camp was. They approached the designated cave slowly and made sure that their presence won’t be detected by any nearby fauna or any of the trolls scout.

“So, you think this will work?”

To be blunt, Lor’themar didn’t believe the idea to work as well as his General would think. With Zul’jin leading the march, that should’ve made themselves more formidable when battle erupts. The mere presence of the warlord will inspire his warriors to fight fiercely. He also read the report where the scout noticed the trolls were discussing that they now were blessed by the loas. He never underestimated his opponents, no matter what they may be. He may not know about what the “loas” other than that they were the deity the trolls worshiped. He will, however make it sure he was prepared of whatever may come.

“We have to try. Sylvanas herself believed this would work and we need to delay them. How well the plan work will remain to be seen.”

His discussion with Halduron came to a stop as they saw many lynxes going out from a quite large cave within the forest where the troll will pass through within two hour or so. A large one in particular left the cave last. The cave was most likely its den as he heard several more lynxes cries from within.

_Now how do I bait them into their camp?_

The one that moved out last was most definitely the matriach. An idea came up to Lor’themar as he moved closer to the den; the noise he heard were mewls. Cubs. Lynxes were fiercely protective of its cubs and by taking it towards the middle of a camp of the trolls would let the mother run rampant alongside the others within the camp.

The question remained on how effective such tactics will prove? How much damage the lynxes can deal towards the troll? Can it stall them for a day?

Alina specifically stated that the point of this tactic was to stall time so their allies from Kirin Tor can arrive in time. This tactic however, can only be used once. More than that, the trolls would immediately be suspicious of why the animals attacking them too many times and could do a forced march, which will put them in worse position they’ll ever be. Lor’themar had doubts over the word of his General. Alina however, had complete confidence and dared him to bet several golds if the plan went to much success.

“So, get the cub and release it into their camp?” Halduron quietly asked with amusement. Lor’themar only response was a nod as he prayed quietly that this will work as effective as his General would suspect.

-o-

The trolls were on high spirit this time. Their morale was plummeting ever since the Horde abandoned them during the Second War and all they can do was simple raids towards the elves, which almost everything was repelled with ease and brutal measure. The elves in return were growing stronger than ever. With the second daughter of the Windrunner maintaining the defense of its kingdom, it all became even more troublesome. Whereas her mother was calm and calculating, her daughter was fierce and giving no quarters at all.

The Amani has enough problems against that one particular elf and he’s had enough of it. By praying to the loas and entering a pact with several of them, the Amani right now should be tougher when it comes to deal with their enemies. The loas were usually jealous of one’s servitude towards the other; however he made promises to them that they would restore their temples should they succeed. The temples and the lands the elves desecrated when they arrived all those years ago from their exile. Looking at the situation right now however, this should be an ample moment for them to test their new strength.

The elves were growing lax as of lately. Their military effectively slowed down their efforts; most likely their fund was cut off. The warlord of the Amani wasn’t so optimistic to think if Zul’Aman is to be sieged, the city would stand. Moreover, it would more likely Zul’Aman would fall immediately. He was glad that they grow arrogant as of lately and he never saw a mage amongst their patrol anymore these past few months.

Their mages were undeniably strong. One of the Alliance's strongest points during the Second War. The Horde faced enough trouble against them and while their shamans may prove a match against them, their numbers were few compared to the elves. Particularly Gul’dan’s forces where he uses magic known to demons, the very being the loas warned them about.

It also didn’t help that their shamans weren’t easily trained. They took years for them to be ready for battle and master the elements whereas an elf during their younger days can easily cast those pretty magic towards their unsuspecting foes, talented or not. Their attunements to the loas were also something that took time as well. They couldn’t manage to take any losses of their shaman or it would be a heavy blow towards his forces. He managed to amass seventy proud Amani trolls to march alongside him as he planned to test their strength against the elves. About fifteen of them were shamans.

“Warlord, we be approaching da elves village in two days now.” One of the scouts returned with satisfying report. However it irked him that the elves hadn’t showed up at all.

They settled a camp in the middle of the forest. A small fire was set where they may cook their food and rest after half a day of march. Several temporary tents were setup every time they rest. The warlord himself preferred a large one, a display of power.

“Ya see no elves around?” He was not amused with the shook of the head of his scout. Things were going too well. There must be something Windrunner was planning when she let his forces this deep into the elves territory. As he dismissed his scout, he went out to watch around the camp.

Most of his forces were asleep right now. He set up several scout to watch over the camp, to secure the area. To watch any of those pesky rangers the Windrunner personally trained, or her captains. They always has been the most troublesome opponents as they knew how to blend well in the forest. Their smell, unnoticeable. Their sight, almost as good as the trolls. Their aim, as deadly as one can be.

No matter how good her rangers however, they would stand no chance against his forces shamanic prowess. He tested his shaman against many kinds of ranged attack. Arrows, spears, rocks thrown at them, and the result was impressive. He would glee with satisfactory back then as he commanded to train more of them. There are dozens of them training back within Zul’Aman. This army was meant to try how effective they were against the elves, but that didn’t mean he would rather his forces be slaughtered for nothing. As such, his presence amongst them would imply that he was dead serious for this march that they will achieve victory against the elves. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but with enough time, the elves will fall.

It was only after a few moments during the dead of night where he took a look around once more, the warlord saw something curious. A lynx cub. It seemed to be strayed from its pack and lost. It mewled loudly as it entered the camp, cowering as one of his warrior reached down and picked it up. It mewled even louder, his warrior looking more annoyed with how loud it cried as time passed. When the warrior tossed it away in annoyance, only then he remembered something.

A Lynx will never be far from its matriarch or its siblings. A cub was fiercely protected by its mother and the mother won’t take kindly to anyone who messed with her offspring. As soon as he remembered that small piece of information known to all hunters across Azeroth itself, he heard growling surrounding the camp.

How did these beasts make pasts the guards, set to watch over the camp? How did they manage to come close and sneak to their camp and managed to get this close? How this could even happened just a few days before they reached to where they will begin to assault the elves? All those questions dispersed to the air as one of them lunged towards him and he barely dodged it.

“To arms! Beasts in the camp!” The warlord roared. Just as he alerted the whole camp while he reached for his axe, numerous other lynxes began to lunge toward his warriors as well, catching them all off guard.

-o-

Several meters away, from the troll camp that erupted to mass panic because a dozen, or more beasts ‘decided’ to assault their camp, a pair of elves watched the events unfold with glee. Many of the trolls were mauled by the lynxes, and few of them even got bitten and chewed away as they were dragged like a piece of meat. The lynxes however, falls one by one as the trolls started to gather themselves. Their leader was visibly frustrated as he begun culling the beasts, one after another until the beasts start retreating when they see they were losing. Many of the trolls were reeling with injuries. Such an outcome will definitely put a setback for their plan to attack the elves.

One of the elves grinned as he watched with amusement as he placed a scroll containing sleep spell, made so that even human with no magical attunement can use it, back into his vest while the other one narrowed his eyes for a long moment, staring at how too well the plan work. He later sighed with a smile as he picked a pouch of gold he will lose when he returned to where his fellow rangers were. They gave a look towards each other and nodded as they left before the trolls noticed something was off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll update the expansion soon enough, I promise! End of month is always where my work got stacked the most, so I can't say it will go up next week, but it won't be longer than two.
> 
> Thanks for reading and sorry if there are mistakes to be made! Leave a comment for your thoughts, I'd love to read them :)
> 
> Update : After re-reading the expansion work once more, I felt inclined to rework it a bit. I felt quite unsatisfied with how it's written. Most likely the case is that I'll rewrite the first chapter and work on the second one afterwards. Sorry for additional delay.


	4. Rules and Orders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina getting frustrated, Sylvanas doing her work as the older sister and a general.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long while isn't it? A bit too absorbed with Whisper. Hope you enjoyed it!

“Are you truly sure about twenty trolls were heavily injured in the process?” Sylvanas raised her brow as she asked.

Halduron shrugged, “I’m reporting as I’ve seen General. About three sentries were punished heavily too for their 'tardiness' _._ ” He smugly reported as he threw a couple of sleep scrolls on the table.

Sylvanas gaze switched to Lor’themar who looked unsure as well, “It surprised me too, General. The plan works way too well with Zul’jin around leading them.”

Sylvanas eyed the war table again once more with suspicion. She took away two of the enemy pieces out of five on top of the board as the discussion was ongoing. She felt something was amiss here and she didn’t like it even one bit. In a battle, information was the key to its victory. The information that the forces of trolls bringing towards their gate was easily routed with that simple ambush was off. If it wasn’t Zul’jin that led them, Sylvanas won’t be surprised, but the description of the one leading them matched him from head to toe. Was there trickery behind this? Was there another ploy to be made by the Amani Warlord?

Sylvanas huffed as she crossed her arms, the information didn’t bring her relief, and instead it was anxiety. Several what ifs appeared in her mind as she processed the question one by one. As she mulled over in her own mind, her sister entered the command tent with a message, most likely from Dalaran when looking at the seal.

“Dalaran sent us a message.”

-o-

“My lady, message from your mentor.” Anya said flatly as she offered the message. It seemed her mood soured today for some reason. Jaina eyed her closely as she accepted the envelope. Her ears were flattened towards her skull, as if she was annoyed by something.

She was spending her afternoon within her lodging. The books she borrowed yesterday have yet to be finished. She has finished reading about six books ever since her visit and each of them was fascinating. While she has yet to return to continue reading about the Farstriders once more, she opted to stay back for a while and continue her research regarding any arcane knowledge the elves had cultivated.

“Is there something you want to talk about, Anya?” Jaina noticed her ears flicked as the question asked.

Anya, who previously looked at the ground, glanced up at her. Her frown was still clear as day, a clear difference than her usual cheerful demeanor. “I’m not sure if it was my place to say so, my lady.”

Jaina, looking ever puzzled with her guard, looked upon the envelope; it seemed to have been opened by someone else already. Jaina narrowed her eyes towards Anya who shuffled uncomfortably at her gaze.

“Who read the letter before me, Anya?”

Anya was about to answer the accusing look when the door was knocked several times. Jaina still kept her eyes on Anya; she opened the door with a touch of her magic, letting the guest in who was none other than the prince himself. He looked quite displeased as well.

“That would be me, my lady.” Kael said as he closed the door.

Jaina’s annoyance swiftly shifted from Anya to Kael’thas. Does he not know the matter of privacy?

“Why would you-“ Jaina was about to ask as Kael lifted his hand to cut her off.

“This is a matter of your safety, my lady and I simply cannot risk your wellbeing by letting you go to the frontline even if Antonidas allowed you to. You are my guest here, and if your safety got compromised, it would depict me as an unsuitable host.” Kael’thas replied calmly as he surveyed the room.

“It is _my_ decision alone, Prince Kael’thas. This decision is mine to bear and I have an absolute faith that the Farstriders will keep me and my colleagues safe.” Jaina began to seethe though that did little to sway Kael’thas determination to keep her here.

Kael rolled his eyes, “Your colleagues won’t need your assistance. My word is final; you will stay in Silvermoon for the rest of your visit, my lady. I hope you will understand my position.”

His gaze passed to Anya for a moment, switching his language from Common to Thalassian. Little did he know that Jaina understood the elven language far better now, “ _Ranger, make sure the Lady stays within the city. One of my guards will take your place tomorrow so you can go to your Ranger General._ ” Kael’thas said to Anya as he left. Anya gave him a bow but Jaina noticed how irritated she was with how she glared at Kael when he left the room.

As she kept her gaze on the door, she clenched her jaw tightly, fueled with anger that she hadn’t felt for a while. It took a little longer before she burst out her anger.

“This is ridiculous! He has no authority over me! I’m a visitor, not one of his concubines!” Jaina shouted her frustration after several minutes passed. She can feel from her back that Anya nodded in agreement. It seemed that even her guard disliked the decision. Her eyes turned its gaze towards the elf. Anya stuttered at that as she bowed before her.

“My lady, I-“

Jaina reached towards the elf as she felt guilt infesting her gut. Jaina pushed her to stand straight as she looked at the blue colored eyes filled with concern, “I’m so sorry Anya, for accusing you opening the letter. I should’ve known you would never do that.” Jaina felt frustrated with herself.

The elf was surprised. She can see relief settling in for her guard though she looked no less annoyed. She sighed before continuing what she was going to say before Jaina cut her off, “My lady, it was my sense of duty that compelled me to answer truthfully to the prince. When he asked for the message, I insisted that it was only for you. He however was taking none of it. I pray for forgiveness that because of me, you can no longer travel to the frontline to assist us.”

Jaina can’t blame her, can she? Anya, just like those others who served in the military, was duty-bound to answer to her superior as truthfully as possible. Her service towards her people and Kael’Thas would take more priority than herself, who was merely a guest within the city.

Jaina slumped over the desk, no longer in the mood to read anything as Kael dampened her day. It really irked her to be forced to stay here when she got the permission. She could try to go to Dalaran and report it to Antonidas but that would be pitting her own mentor and Kael’Thas. It would be quite unsightly.

Anya seemed to notice her distress but she cannot do anything about the current situation either. She racked up her brain and tried to do whatever it was needed to get away from this situation without involving anyone else. If she did nothing, tomorrow she would spend the rest of her day with some scruffy guard under Kael’thas orders.

She had seen them and how stiff they were compared to the rangers. How Jaina much preferred in the company of these playful elves than those boring guards. Anya once told her how the rangers were a family not bound by blood, with the Ranger General as its eldest sister who always had to keep them in place. The one they only follow around.

_Wait a second, the Ranger General._

An idea came to her mind, though it would include the Ranger General, could work. She can definitely use this loophole to go out there. She had promised Rhonin after all that she would be there and aid him when the time comes.

“Anya.” Jaina called, gesturing to the ranger to come closer.

“My Lady?” Anya looked curious as the ranger came closer. Jaina gestured to her, asking if there’s anyone nearby. Anya shook her head slightly, growing more curious with each second that passed.

“You once told me that you answer only to the Ranger General and her alone, right?” Jaina whispered, still being skeptical if Kael assigned another guard to watch over her and could hear her.

“Yes, my Lady. The rangers only answered to-“ Anya stopped her explanations as she realized what Jaina was intending to pull. “This doesn’t seem wise my Lady. While it’s true that the rules and decision are such, to use such loophole to get out of here is-“

“I will deal with whatever Kael’Thas is going to pull Anya. Can you do this or not? I’ll just ask you this once. I’ll tell the Ranger General myself that it is my idea so you wouldn’t be the one to take responsibility.”

The ranger frowned and paced in the room. Jaina waited patiently as Anya seemed to rack her own brain. Her ears flicked from one second to another as she paced, clearly thinking how this will turn out. She eventually huffed, her face looked conflicted of what she should do but nonetheless, she appeared to reach a decision.

“The Ranger General tasked me to go to the frontline when it’s time, which should be tomorrow. I believed only his Majesty knew about this and said that I will need to find someone else to replace me. I will ask one of the trainees to take my place. We need to leave before the sun even rises, my Lady or there would be too many eyes that will look for us.”

Jaina can only grin at her guard’s instruction.

-o-

The night didn’t come easy for Sylvanas. She didn’t have too much time to plan how to place her rangers alongside Kirin Tor mages. The message said that about twenty mages were ready to aid them but there’s not much description of who they are and how good they were at the field. Only information that came in was that all of them were adept at using wards.

Nathanos was assigned to plan any possible ambush that can be done with Kalira right now. He appeared to be a bit more considerate after the little “talk” they had previously. Though he remained as prideful as ever, he tried to mingle with the others now when the opportunity arose.

While the others were taking turns to watch over the camps, here she was sorting one message after another. Reports of what was happening at the other side of the border. The information of the patrols she assigned to each village. Politics of what was happening in Silvermoon.

One by one she sorted it out like usual. Sometimes, Vereesa would help her in doing this but she was exhausted today after going back and forth from Dalaran to send her message to Kirin Tor. Her sister was asleep on the cot within her tent. She snored softly as she fell to deep slumber. 

As she sorted out the message one by one, she noticed a message bearing the seal of the rangers from Silvermoon, different from the ones her scouts in the field had. As she picked up and broke it, she can only assume it came from Anya as she was the only one left within the city to guard Kael’thas’ guest. Sylvanas herself has sent word to Kael’thas that Anya will be needed when the fight is about to start and that he has to find someone else to take care of his guest.

Jaina Proudmoore. Her thoughts sometimes got clouded by the woman. Ever since Vereesa poked her about it, the woman’s face was a bit hard to shake off. Though it hardly impaired her work, when the moment of idle arose, she can’t help but to remember her time when she met her, during the dead of night, stumbling around like a lost tourist.

As she opened the message and read it, her eyes narrowed at Anya’s writing. The first half was the report of the trainees within the barracks, but the last few lines were about her time of arrival which was due tomorrow. She re-read it again and again as she squinted her eyes this time.

_We shall arrive earlier than I have planned. I hope this doesn’t turn out to be a problem Ranger-General._

_We?_ Who was she bringing along with? Was there any promising ranger that she brought alongside with? If so, why didn’t she report it first earlier and ask for her permission to bring the ranger along? Her train of thoughts came to a halt as she heard Vereesa groaned at the cot, slowly awakened from her sleep.

“You’re still up?” Vereesa asked as she yawned.

Sylvanas folded the letter away and placed it on top of the other letters. No, she had no issue if Anya planned to arrive earlier but she clearly meant that she won’t be arriving alone.

Sylvanas stood up and brought Vereesa another blanket. The night was cold this season and she had no plan to sleep until a bit later. She already rested enough for today in the evening after she finished training her rangers.

“Return to sleep, you need it for the morning to come.”

Vereesa fumbled a little more before returning to her slumber, clearly too tired to protest. Sylvanas smiled at the sight. Vereesa was all she had left when Alleria decided to pursue the orcs beyond the Dark Portal. 

She hated Alleria’s decision. Yes, she understood Alleria’s decision but that didn’t mean that she liked it. She needed Alleria here. She needed someone she could counsel to. To discuss with, to share the mantle her mother has given to her instead her eldest sister. But she was gone. Sylvanas hated her for it.

The Farstriders provided her a company, yes, but never to the proximity or the closeness of a family. Her rangers, she trusted them as they trusted her with their lives. They knew of her creed, of how she’ll prioritize the defense of Silvermoon before their own lives. Of how she’ll decide to use whatever and whoever she can to make sure the city was safe. How it both aches and made her proud that she had troops this loyal to her.

Vereesa’s soft snoring brought her back from her thinking. She smiled at her little sister, of how proud she was when she joined the Farstrider and rose quickly to become her Ranger-Lieutenant. Not because she was her sister, no, not even her mother would allow such a thing, but because of how hard she worked to gain her place.

She quietly sneaked away from Vereesa as she made her way to the Command Tent, unusually quiet considering Nathanos was the one who led the discussion. As she opened the tent, Nathanos was looking at the map intently alongside Kalira. The stoic ranger always kept things to herself and only spoke when there was something that didn’t fit with her. Nathanos once noted to Sylvanas that he preferred working with Kalira the most compared to the others. They were too chatty for his liking, especially Velonara and Anya.

“So, how far have both of you planned out?” Sylvanas spoke, breaking the silence first. Both rangers saluted them and Nathanos pulled a troop piece from the map and slid it to the west from her camp. Zul’jin’s forces will appear from the Southwest according to Lor’themar report.

“We’re at the point of preferring where to put the ambush, General. Either from west or from south was a possible choice. However, the effectiveness will largely depend on where the chieftain put his shamans.” Nathanos stated.

“To the west, we have the advantage of the forest cloaking us but our line of sight will obviously be hindered, no matter how good our rangers are. The mages can be placed to support our main forces since we assumed they won’t be able to catch up with the rangers should we sprung the ambush.”

Kalira took another piece and slid it to the south.

“To the south, there is a clearing where we will have clear shots of our enemy position. We won’t need to get close to our enemies however we need to prepare if the enemies are rushing from their position over there. We will need mages within this position to cover us as we prepare the ambush and to delay any forces that will split away from the main forces to turn against us.”

Both options have its merit and demerit. To the west, the ambush would be a more direct confrontation whereas to the south, her rangers can whittle the enemy from afar. The only problem would be that they can be charged by the split forces.

“We will take less confrontational measures. Kalira, we’ll go with your assessment. Take everyone you need to prepare the place and set up the ambush first so our mages will only need to adapt to our plan when they arrive. I’ll also assign a healer with the ambush team, just in case something may happen.” Sylvanas decided.

“Nathanos, you’ll keep it together with the main forces with me. I want all of us prepared for tomorrow.” Both rangers didn’t offer any words but a salute as she left the Command Tent and walked towards her favorite healer’s tent.

As soon as she entered the tent, she could hear a loud groan coming from the corner of the room.

“What is it again this time? Yes, we’ll stay with the backline, and no, I’m not going to treat your trainees who scuffled about with the others and hurt themselves afterwards just because they can’t accept defeat.”

Sylvanas chuckled as she stood next to the frustrated priestess who was writing a manuscript at her desk, “Nice to see you as well, Liadrin.”

“I’m not sure why you’re here late tonight. I don’t have any medicine to help you sleep, Sylvanas.” Liadrin flatly said without even glancing at the Ranger-General.

Seeing Liadrin in no mood for bantering, Sylvanas decided to cut to the chase, “I will need a healer in the front line, is there anyone you can spare Liadrin?”

Liadrin stopped writing and raised her brow as she turned around to look at Sylvanas, “Pardon? You previously stated you only needed them on the backline, now you wanted one to assist the frontline?”

“There’s been a change in our strategy.”

“Only one who has any competence to stay in the front line is me, anyone else is not yet suited.”

Sylvanas grinned, “Well you better get some sleep then, because you’ll need to move out tomorrow.”

Liadrin rolled her eyes as she placed away her quill and slipped her manuscript back to a chest. “You really will be the death of me one day, Sylvanas.”

“I know you’re tougher than that. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Sylvanas said as she excused herself while teasing Liadrin’s ear for the last time as she quickly strode away, escaping the annoyed gaze from the priestess.


End file.
